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katikatThe first thing you need to know about "At The Mercy Of Her Pleasure" by Kayelle Allen is the fact that it's a het book. Porny het book. Of the XXX kind. This book is defined by the fact that it's het and it's about sex. I didn't mind though because that's exactly why I bought it but... And there is a big but, though first things first.
This book is a sci-fi set in a universe dominated by the Conqueror Destoiya. The main hero Senth Antonello is a slave and a member of the (in)famous Thief Guild. To save his older brother Khyffen from slavery (Khyff is a sex slave - called "slake" - and he is abused by his master) he agrees to steel a little trinket from the imperial store room for NarrAy who is a Captain and a member of the Rebellion against the Conqueror. And she is a Better too - enhanced, extremely beautiful, pheromone addictive woman. Senth's Master, the Harbinger, pumps Senth full of the libido suppressive drug Shackle and makes him swear that he won't have sex with NarrAy otherwise the deal concerning his brother is off. But of course, NarrAy desires Senth and what she wants, she gets...
Sounds intriguing, doesn't it? Well, not really. When I ordered this book, I hoped for it to be similar to Wen Spencer's "A Brother's Price" or Dara Joy's "Ritual of Proof". Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed. You see, this book has its origin in the ebook form and it's pretty obvious. The characters are under-developed and what might have been an intriguing sci-fi story gets pushed aside to make room for endless sex scenes. The worlds the main characters visit are shallow and not really explained, there is not enough description of where the "action" takes place and the heroes think about and have sex in the most inappropriate moments and places. I mean, if I were a prisoner of the imperial guard, my horniness would be the least of my problems, really.
My biggest problem was the shallowness of the characters. Even the biggest problems they encounter make only small ripples on the surface of their minds. My brother is being held as a hostage by the Conqueror? Lets have sex. We are being held prisoners by the imperial guard? Lets have sex. We are breaking into a high security imperial building? Lets have sex. Too much of something is really too much sometimes.
And some things that could have been major plot twists or plot devices, are only mentioned to be forgotten forever. Like Senth's addiction to Shackle: at first, it was stressed how much pain a withdrawal would cause him and that he could die of a stroke, then it was only mentioned as an afterthought when Senth was hurt. It was the same with the forbidden technology. Some really wasted plots.
Well, it's not all bad, don't get me wrong. There were some cute/funny things there too, small details that made you laugh. Like Senth being a HalfKin - part human, part cat - so his tongue was really coarse. Or the existence Chiasmii who could be male or female. And my favorite verbal exchange?
Liu: "Oh, Khyff."
Khyff: "Oh, Liu."
Senth, hidden behind a dumpster: Oh, brother.
So there. It's really a shame that the author didn't develop this story further. Yes, there are sequels, available as ebooks only though. So, if you want to read a het porn book with a drop of sci-fi, than this is a book for you. If you want to read some really good fantasy or sci-fi with female domination, I would advise you to read Wen Spencer's "A Brother's Price" or Dara Joy's "Ritual of Proof". Kayelle Allen's story would get only three stars out of five from me though.
This book is a sci-fi set in a universe dominated by the Conqueror Destoiya. The main hero Senth Antonello is a slave and a member of the (in)famous Thief Guild. To save his older brother Khyffen from slavery (Khyff is a sex slave - called "slake" - and he is abused by his master) he agrees to steel a little trinket from the imperial store room for NarrAy who is a Captain and a member of the Rebellion against the Conqueror. And she is a Better too - enhanced, extremely beautiful, pheromone addictive woman. Senth's Master, the Harbinger, pumps Senth full of the libido suppressive drug Shackle and makes him swear that he won't have sex with NarrAy otherwise the deal concerning his brother is off. But of course, NarrAy desires Senth and what she wants, she gets...
Sounds intriguing, doesn't it? Well, not really. When I ordered this book, I hoped for it to be similar to Wen Spencer's "A Brother's Price" or Dara Joy's "Ritual of Proof". Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed. You see, this book has its origin in the ebook form and it's pretty obvious. The characters are under-developed and what might have been an intriguing sci-fi story gets pushed aside to make room for endless sex scenes. The worlds the main characters visit are shallow and not really explained, there is not enough description of where the "action" takes place and the heroes think about and have sex in the most inappropriate moments and places. I mean, if I were a prisoner of the imperial guard, my horniness would be the least of my problems, really.
My biggest problem was the shallowness of the characters. Even the biggest problems they encounter make only small ripples on the surface of their minds. My brother is being held as a hostage by the Conqueror? Lets have sex. We are being held prisoners by the imperial guard? Lets have sex. We are breaking into a high security imperial building? Lets have sex. Too much of something is really too much sometimes.
And some things that could have been major plot twists or plot devices, are only mentioned to be forgotten forever. Like Senth's addiction to Shackle: at first, it was stressed how much pain a withdrawal would cause him and that he could die of a stroke, then it was only mentioned as an afterthought when Senth was hurt. It was the same with the forbidden technology. Some really wasted plots.
Well, it's not all bad, don't get me wrong. There were some cute/funny things there too, small details that made you laugh. Like Senth being a HalfKin - part human, part cat - so his tongue was really coarse. Or the existence Chiasmii who could be male or female. And my favorite verbal exchange?
Liu: "Oh, Khyff."
Khyff: "Oh, Liu."
Senth, hidden behind a dumpster: Oh, brother.
So there. It's really a shame that the author didn't develop this story further. Yes, there are sequels, available as ebooks only though. So, if you want to read a het porn book with a drop of sci-fi, than this is a book for you. If you want to read some really good fantasy or sci-fi with female domination, I would advise you to read Wen Spencer's "A Brother's Price" or Dara Joy's "Ritual of Proof". Kayelle Allen's story would get only three stars out of five from me though.
